


Bright New World

by sometimes_she_writes



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Five Centric, Original Character(s), tua season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28431747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimes_she_writes/pseuds/sometimes_she_writes
Summary: Something went wrong, as they find themselves finally back home, in 2019, the Sparrow Academy stands instead of the Umbrella's and Reginald Hargreeves lives, knowing none of them. What the hell happened in this timeline ?
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Original Character(s), Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 19





	1. Welcome, Get Out !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is basically my take on season 3 ! I kinda wanted to explore some characters, especially Five, in a different light and throw a bunch of ocs in it ! I also looked back at the comics a bit (but I haven't read them, sorry), the aesthetic / vibe I got from it or whatever and the darker tone which I like so I kinda wanted to bring more of that as well. I'm honestly having a lot of fun doing this so happy reading ! Hope you like it !
> 
> PS : I made a playlist for the fic, songs to match some passages, feel free to listen while reading if you're interested !   
> For Chapter 1 : Where Evil Grows by the Poppy Family (for the battle scene, "The Sparrow Attack")

\- Is this the Umbrella Academy ?

\- No, this is the Sparrow Academy, who are you ?

They had all gone through so much ; the apocalypse, the time jump, those one to three years in the sixties ; filled with harsh realities of those times and a struggle to take in the truth that they found, about their father, mother and finally about themselves. This was the tipping point, all of this effort, hoping to finally go home and start over, was ruined. 

What can they do now ?

Where will they go ?

What’s next ?

The hearts were dropping low and the emotions were overwhelming. They felt, each and one of them, lost and shattered to the core. It wasn’t sadness, it was utter confusion, detachment and numbness. They were interrupted in their process of facing this new alternate reality, the old Reginald Hargreeves, this time, very much alive addressed them.

\- Who are you ? Present yourself !

\- Well, we are...umm… 

Luther was stumbling and couldn’t get a sentence out. He already had enough issues with his father from his timeline.

Five decided to take the lead as the oldest and he made his point.

\- We are your children, you adopted us on October first 1989, me, Diego, Luther, Allison, Klaus, Vanya and Ben Hargreeves. It seems that there has been an alteration in the timeline for this to happen.

\- What kind of nonsense are you speaking off, boy ?

Five grimaced in a particularly strong displeased facial expression, like a cat hissing and ready to retaliate.

Five hated this teenage body that he couldn’t get rid off, the more people reminded him of it, the more Five felt closer to fulfilling violent urges. 

\- Children ! 

Five figures emerged from the shadows behind Reginald, in the upper part, close to the stairs.

Shock spread across the faces of the Umbrella children, it wasn’t them, none of them were there. 

\- Father, why did you summon us ? 

One last figure emerged. Dressed in a fitted suit, stood proudly Ben Hargreeves, on top of the stairs, in flesh and blood. Klaus’s face lit up, he couldn’t believe it.

He was staring as Ben walked down the stairs to join them down, in this most princely and majestic way. He then stood, next to his father, as a second in command. 

\- Ben… You...You’re alive…I… Klaus said in amazement. 

The other Umbrella children looked in for an answer. Ben Hargreeves of the Sparrow Academy slowly turned to take a good look at all of them.

He observed and analysed and ended his scanning of the intruders on Klaus’s face. His face wrinkled and showed disdain.

\- I don’t know any of you, I certainly wouldn’t meet with you, junkie type.

\- Hey first of all I’m sober now ! replied Klaus automatically, reminded of his previous discussions over the subject with his brother.

Klaus bitterly regretted his impulse, this was not the Ben he knew. No sympathy or exasperated look took over his face, only a smug smirk over the confirmation of his hunch. 

\- Well do you have anything else to say, other than the nonsense you have elaborated ?

\- It’s not nonsense ! You adopted us, again, the first of October 1989, the seven of us ! You trained us in the idea of fighting this bigger evil, all of our lives ! And you were right ! We had to take care of an apocalypse and we had to jump back in time and stop another one from starting ! And now we’re here, and you, eccentric old man, you, out of aaall people can’t spare some time to hear us ? Too crazy for you, really ?!

Five was fuming, this rage directed towards their father was rather unexpected. As much as everyone in the family could collectively agree to his terrible parenting as well as the consequences of it, trauma and all, Five usually kept himself distant. He did have his outburst at age thirteen and that turned awfully. Forty five years later, during their trip into the sixties, he finally met again and it left him unsure.

While the Umbrella children were shocked by Five’s sudden expression of anger, Reginald and the Sparrow children gasped in outrage. Reginald’s face turned crimson, his brows furrowed and he responded with a spat. 

\- Very well, I’ve had enough of your talks. I will cut to the chase; you have invaded my home, blabbered some conspiracy theory, tried to involve my academy into your senseless story and you expect me to hear and receive you ?! 

\- Conspiracy theory ?! Five scoffed.

Five didn’t even know where to begin with, all they had been through reduced to this. Vanya looked at Five understandably, he might not trust her much or like her either, but she felt for him as he was being brutally dismissed. Klaus looked at Ben, imploring with his eyes for a consideration, maybe he might see how in another universe, how much he mattered to the Umbrella family. Luther stared at Reginald with his usual lost puppy stare, Allisson held his arm, always here for him, his difficult attachment to his dysfunctional father being still very present. 

Reginald wouldn’t hear a word, the different expressions of the Umbrella children did not seem to affect him much though he did take offense to Five’s entire being; stubborn, unquestionably smart, unpredictable and worst of all, untamable. But Reginald wasn’t the only one getting heated.

The Sparrow Children seemed disturbed by the unexpected guests (or intruders) and what they had to say. Their attitudes were quite different. Though no introductions were made, this Sparrow family seemed quite different from the Umbrella one. The Sparrow children were dressed quite formally and postured themselves in a rigid manner. The Umbrella children had gone through a tough childhood but it never created such characters. 

\- Father, isn't it time to show them the door ? asked Ben with irritation. 

Reginald nodded. 

Ben walked towards the group. 

\- Sparrow brothers, sisters and siblings, let’s teach them a lesson…

Unexpectedly, Ben took Klaus by the shirt and threw a punch. 

An expression of shock and anger flew across the room. Everyone rushed.

\- Haven’t you been told not to stare ? 

The Umbrella children did not have time to react before the rest of the Sparrow children came to join with murderous intent. 

Everything happened so fast. Diego ran to Klaus’s defense. He did not anticipate what would come his way, a fast thumping on the stairs, someone came quick, a bat swung, cracking on his skull, Vanya could hear the impact precisely before looking his way, him, lying on the floor. Vanya ran.

\- Diego ! Diego ! Diego !!! she yelled in alarm.

Suddenly a figure emerged before her. One look and she felt transfixed and hypnotised. She felt as if she had fallen into the trapdoor of reality, bringing her into a cloudy, hellish, infinite world of nothing. A space of dizziness, dreadful and grim. She was terrified, stuck in an uneasiness, incapable of moving, a true nightmare.

Allison looked in horror at her sister’s paralysis. 

Luther was grabbed by a strange lurking mass, seemingly unhuman, like a moving mound of moss. Luther tried to free himself from the creature, swinging his arms, hoping to outdo his opponent with his super strength. But the thing latched on, it clung to his body, itched and stung on his skin. He could feel himself weakened and slowly drained of his energy. 

Allison could not even utter a rumor to stop the leach, she was so lost in this utter chaos. The shadows of Sparrows everywhere running, chasing, dragging and beating the Umbrella children to the ground. She felt her legs light and shaky, she looked around in distress when she could see Diego slowly opening his eyes again.

\- Diego !

She moved towards him. She approached and he mumbled something, his eyes widened, whispering ; 

\- Behind...you… 

She turned quickly but not enough to dodge a violent punch, leaving her with a taste of blood and metal on her mouth. 

\- Nothing better than a good brass knuckle fight, won’t you say ? 

Her assailant smiled, sickly sweet, looking down at her. 

Diego observed carefully, waiting through the seconds, to throw one of his knives. She grabbed her by the neck.

\- You look lovely, but I am sorry but I shouldn’t keep you alive…

That was the time to attack, Diego threw his knife, the blade flew, fast and sharp. The figure left her hands from Allison to turn, looking at Diego right in the eyes, she wasn’t at all scared, she was amused. She watched the blade get close and closer and when only an inch was left between, the weapon twisted and the trajectory changed, like a boomerang, now going back to its owner. Diego crawled, moving slowly, hoping to dodge it though his chances were slim. The blade returned and aimed perfectly, like the most precise hit in a game of dart, right in the center into his shoulder, man down.

Alisson barely had the time to catch her breath, still struggling after being strangled, when the figure turned back to her, terrifying, she decided she wouldn’t let herself be intimidated, and make use of her powers. The figure stood now still in front of her, piercing through her eyes disturbingly, unwavering. She was about to utter her phrase when their eyes met and suddenly, she felt as if she choked on something, she coughed and coughed and coughed again, trying to get rid of whatever was stuck where it shouldn’t be, the thing was slowly suffocating her, making her panic.

\- I heard a… a...a… aah ! Aah ! Aah !

The figure kept her eyes fixated, looking at her downfall.

\- Alright, let’s put you out quick.

She felt something hit her hard from behind, the gaze broke.

Alison fell on the floor, joining her siblings, already defeated. Her choking had stopped but her head hurt badly and she knew herself about to faint.

She looked to her left, Diego’s body, bloody and passed out, Vanya further in the front, on her knees, transfixed by something, looking into the void, crying, begging to be release from this torture, though physically uninjured, Alisson could see in her eyes how the Sparrows had put her some kind of mental shackles onto her. On her right, Luther’s body, worn out, he now looked so small and frail, then, further down, a blurry corpse, too far away for her to see, red and purple, that’s all she could tell, it must have been Klaus.

She tried to look one last time but her vision was failing, it was getting blurry, her eyes slowly closed and the body gave up, falling asleep, game over... 

* * *

As they all laid pathetically on the ground, bloody mess and all, horribly weak and half dead, Reginald came forward towards them.

They could hear the sound of his cane slowly approaching in disdain. He observed them slowly, evaluating them, walking in circles.

\- Number Five… 

\- Yes, father ? said Ben. 

\- A flock of weaklings and lunatics don’t deserve our attention, toss them aside simply, they might die or live, it will be up to them…

And so were they taken and tossed away into a big trash container. Never had they been so defeated, thrown away like they were nothing, it was bitter and painful. 

Their injuries were severe, both physically and mentally. Klaus had a disfigured face due to the multiple beatings by Ben. It left him awfully scarred.

Even passed out, the torture continued, his face was twitching in terror. Diego was half passed out.

The head trauma from the bat made him drowsy and what kept him awake was the knife, still planted into his shoulder. He moaned in pain. 

Vanya was still recuperating from her disturbing trance. She felt shaky and disoriented. She was the least injured but the mental damage was evident.

Allison was bruised all over, she had tripped, fallen and gotten attacked in the weirdest and most unthinkable ways as if, as she had fought that smiling bastard, she had been put through an unlucky curse. Luther was at his weakest, pale and sickly looking, deflated and seemingly smaller, drained from within. 

\- What do we do now ? asked Allison.

A silence followed. Vanya was slowly getting back into reality and met Allison’s eyes.

\- We should get out of this dump… 

Allison looked at all the others. They needed help. Vanya understood it as well and put herself to work. She carefully stood up and helped Allison to do as well. 

\- How are we going to take them out ? 

\- You should get out of the trash, I can lift them and you can catch them...yeah that should work ! 

\- Okay… Alright…

Allison climbed down prudently. 

\- Okay, let’s start with Klaus…

Vanya knelt and grabbed his half dead sluggish body unto her shoulder. 

\- Here, she said as she handed him to Allison. 

Allison managed to hold him and carefully place him on the floor. They followed with Diego, who during the short ordeal was wincing in pain, very irritated and weak. They ended with Luther, it was quite difficult for Vanya to lift him but somehow she did. Allison had a harder time catching him, he more so fell on her but at least the task was done. 

Vanya sensed something wrong, something was missing.

\- Where’s Five ?

* * *

They couldn’t remember when they lost sight of Five. Everything happened so fast and confusion took them over so rapidly. As Allison dug her memory of the event, it seemed that Five disappeared in the very beginning of the fight, almost instantaneously after Klaus’s attack... 


	2. Five's Hellscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with the Sparrows ended terribly, it left them almost dead and most definitely scarred for life from it, and now they notice that Five is missing, where the hell did he go ?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the start of the Five centric content ! I love him so much as a character, kinda wanted to do my own interpretation both inspired by the show and the comics. I wanted it to be a bit more mature and dark or smth. I think there is just so much potential with him, exploring what it's like to be both young and old, having also missed a normal life, having aged but alone in an apocalypse and the consequences of it like how it affects him both in his head, how he sees himself and how he interacts with others. Anyways hope you guys like it, had fun writing this !
> 
> Songs for Chapter 2 :  
> Gameplan by KHARTOUM (the chase or "Five's Hunting in Gravity")  
> A Mushroom Cloud by Sammy Salvo ("Arrival in Hell")  
> Zen with K.Flay & grandson by X Ambassadors ("Alive in a Dead World")  
> Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits ("Remebering in Tears")

What actually happened was exactly that.

When Ben had approached Klaus, with a strange smile, Five had been suspicious. He had seen the glance that the old man gave to Ben, a dangerously knowing one. And when Ben punched Klaus, he barely had any time to register that a bigger fight would ensue. 

When it did, he was ready to react but he did not expect a shadow, out of nowhere, a whirlwind throwing themselves at him. He had to be quick, jump from one space to another. The thing was relentless, fast and aggressive, strong and powerful, it matched him and his power in a way that frightened him. 

Five had never found someone to match him before and that terrified him. He had been hunted before but never chased like he was currently. He had to keep running faster and faster. He couldn’t break, he couldn’t stop, the shadow kept on. The chase felt never ending and he was getting desperate. His heart was sinking in fear, this felt like the end was near for him. As the thing crept closer, Five noticed something. It wasn’t exactly running, but seemed to have a hold on space, or rather of what held them in space.

And in a last attempt to escape, Five jumped into time.

He did not think of the place, nor the time, past or future, he didn’t know what he transported himself into. 

* * *

He arrived into hell. The sky was red, fire and flames were poisoning, angry clouds showed themselves.There were damaged homes, collapsed buildings, mounds of ashes of things that used to be and of course, death, corpses upon corpses paving the view. This was all too familiar. Five felt nauseous upon the scene, his chest was beating loudly, he felt out of breath, he could sense himself spiraling in distress.He decided to look around, hoping to find anything that could give him a date. 

He walked amongst the rubbles, nothing but destruction, stones, bricks, glass and random debris. Outside of the ongoing fires here and there and the storming weather, the surroundings were rather dormant, it seemed as if the apocalypse had happened a while ago.

Five kept walking, anxious.

Was he bound to stay this time ? Would he eventually see his family’s corpses again ? Was an apocalypse always inevitable ? It looked like it. 

* * *

Few hours passed, and he hadn’t found anything, nothing but the same decayed landscape. He was tired and hungry. He settled on sitting on an intact block of concrete to rest his feet and take a break. He sat silently, contemplating and processing his reality.He then noticed a corpse, fresh and strangely “recent-looking” if one could say.

He stared, feeling something wrong.

Suddenly he saw the body twitch, he blinked, that couldn’t be real, he was simply too exhausted, but when those two eyes opened his own enlarged in panic.

Did he just come back to life ? The corpse or rather the recently living woke with tired eyes, an expression of boredom and disinterest.He seemed unphased by the extraordinary event, annoyed even. Five starred in absolute disbelief, jaws dropped at this insanity. 

The man looked around, rediscovering where he left off. He yawned and stretched his arms on the floor. He seemed in his thirties, dirty blonde disheveled hair, a tanned olive skin. His clothes were torn off, in serious need of repair, the gaps of fabric showed his many injuries ; bruises, cuts, burn marks and scars.The colors of whatever clothes used to be had gone, it had discolored a while ago, instead his rags were now dyed by his dry and fresh blotches of blood, shades of reds, from scarlet to bordeaux to brownish red and greyness from the dust of time and decay. He finally took notice of Five. His demeanor changed, his eyes widened with bewilderment.

He stared at him, he was trying to decipher something.

His mouth opened and it seemed he had found his answer.

\- Five ? Is that you ? I can’t believe it… You look so…young… 

Five was taken aback. Who was this person who knew his name ? How did he recognize him ? The living corpse now looked at him like an old friend, deepening Five’s confusion.

He tried to shake off his discomfort, focusing on getting answers.

\- What year is this ? 

\- Ah ! Yes of course ! This makes so much more sense ! You’re from before… 

\- You didn’t answer.

He chuckled.

\- Do you really think you can prevent it this time ?

\- If you tell me the date it would be easier ! he said exasperated.

\- I miss those days, y’a know… It was fun and exciting, he said with a sad smile. I miss Maja… There is so much I wish I would have told her, but we left off angry at each other and now… Well, she’s dead. 

\- I’m...sorry for your loss…

The living corpse grimaced, unconvinced. He responded with a dry, bitter and suddenly resentful tone. 

\- No you’re not, you’re a selfish asshole. I’ll give your date and you can leave me alone. Try not fucking up this time.

Five couldn’t say it was the first time someone called him that, however this time it felt like a personal accusation, like he was being judged guilty for an action he did not know about. It threw him off. 

\- You have a year, if you get back, it will happen in november of 2020… 

\- Thank you. 

There was a small silence.

\- Can I ask another question ? Five asked carefully.

He glanced at him and shrugged his shoulders.

\- What causes it ? 

\- A lot of things… he chuckled sadly. It’s complicated. There isn’t just one person to blame… There was injustice and lies, so many lies, and she was sick of it, sick of being used and abused. She wanted us to fight for ourselves, for all of us that were abandoned. I can’t blame her nor the ones that followed her… 

\- Who is she ? 

\- You’ll meet soon enough, she isn’t hard to find…with powers like hers…she’s never been discreet.

\- That’s… vague. 

\- Well, I think i’ve given a lot, so if you don’t mind, I would like to die, permanently, in peace, so… you have a lot of space… take a seat ! he said with energetic sarcasm. 

Five scrunched his face, he was furious, at the end of his wits. He turned and stomped away in the middle of the wasteland.

It was almost comical, nothing but two people in this world and he had walked away for the other last person on the planet.

Miles and miles of a wrecked city, an open field of ruins and one could see from far away, one dot leaving another alone. 

His blood boiled, he could feel his chest tighten, struggling to breathe. He was shutting down, dread powerfully taking him over, sinking into his whole being. 

He hadn’t been careful, he had been stomping intensely for hours, ruminating and then he tripped.

He hadn’t looked at his feet, simply staring vehemently forward. It must have been a brick or any type of garbage along his route.

Five tripped and fell on the ground, he could have avoided it, he could have gotten up afterwards but he didn’t. His face was planted on the ground.

He was defeated, at his breaking point. He now felt numb, everything that had happened was too much to handle. His mind retreated inwards, disconnecting from the real world. 

Who knows how long he spent in his head, hearing a cacophony of voices, thoughts and replays of various memories but one day, he came to a conclusion, a choice that he decided to take. He did not want to try anymore. He wouldn’t time travel nor try to save the world in any way.

He was accepting his fate, he was bound to fail, the world would always end. 

* * *

The years passed both slowly and quickly.

Five felt simultaneously every seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months in this place as well as he had lost track of time in the same place, having dissociated for too long. He had miraculously survived almost two decades.He had scurried the earth for any type of food and had impressively managed to hold himself well.

To be fair, it was his second time residing in an apocalypse…

He would always thank consumerism and overproduction for leaving him a still considerable amount of food cans to this day.

Was the food sometimes expired ? Yes but after a while, he got used to it. 

The landscape of the apocalypse hadn’t changed, still bleak and desert.

The only changes that occurred were either seasonal with the weather or whether some area was on fire or not.

Five spent his time alone, he did occasionally see the living corpse, from far away, repeatedly dying and reviving over and over.

Five had done his grief over humanity. He was no longer in pain but he wasn’t quite relieved either. He just kept going, why ? He didn’t know… 

He walked everyday aimlessly. He searched for food and shelter, set a fire and kept himself warm. It was a sad life, he had to admit it. 

* * *

It rained, it was a constant flow, not too harsh nor too violent but still very much present. The water was falling from the sky and gave a sweet calming sound.

Five decided to bring a bucket, collect the water and when it was filled, he took it back to the abandoned building he was currently living in.

Today, he would get himself clean, bathe for once, it would break his grim routine and give him some dignity back. 

He had warmed up some of the water, heating it up on top of the fire he had made. When the temperature was just right, he transferred it back to his bucket.

He had set up a little space to create a sort of bathroom, not so much for the sake of privacy but rather for the illusion of a stable home.

He took off his clothes, some borrowed mismatched garments that replaced his old suit ; a warm leather jacket with a dirty wool lining, an olive green shirt, some army pants that he altered along the way as well as belt which he had customized to suit his needs and finally a pair of deadstock hiking boots that he found in a fascinatingly intact abandoned sport store. 

Five was now an adult, a young man, tall and with an athletic build. His face had slimmed down and his jawline had sharpened.

He had let his hair grow a little more and as well as a small stubble beard. He didn’t like a real beard, it made him feel dirty and unkept.

Even in the apocalypse, appearances despite simply for himself, mattered to him, it kept him grounded, a part that reminded him of his own humanity. 

Five put himself in front of the window, wanting to look at the rain. He poured some of the water onto his body and he sighted happily.

It was nice, the warmth on his skin and the dirt being washed away, it had been long overdue.

As he scrubbed himself with soap, he felt put into an introspective mood, he looked at himself, how things had changed over the years…

He glanced at his tattoo, he had almost forgotten it, always hidden in all of his layers of clothes during the day. The ink was slightly faded, more of a dark grey then a jet black. He remembered when they all got theirs, he had pulled the straightest face, seemingly unphased and unaffected but it had hurt very much. He didn’t tell anyone about it, he would sneak at night, take some painkillers and some healing cream in secret. 

As he reminisced, he felt a punch in his gut, a vague of emotions resurging.

All the memories of his family came back, he had repressed and ignored them, his version of grieving. It became too much, he felt suddenly broken into a million pieces, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He started crying, hard, he had reached his tipping point, like water overflowing from a vase.

His cheeks turned puffy and red. He felt incredibly fragile. He could feel his heart bleeding, all-consuming, scorching hot and aflame. He felt all of the pain he had denied. 

And then anger rolled along and guilt arrived. He turned on his own mind, blaming and resenting himself. 

\- It’s all my fault, I fucked up everything because I couldn’t fucking wait to time travel… I just...ruined everything… For everyone… and couldn’t even ever fix it… I… 

The tears welled up again. He realized that deep down he couldn’t never accept defeat.

He was never truly okay with letting the world go to rot, without trying to save it even if the chances were slim.

He couldn’t believe that he had left his family. Shame took upon him, how could he have abandoned them ? 

Five felt he had finally awakened from a deep slumber, it had been painful but he had now a purpose.

No more denial or wallowing in self-pity over the world, he felt back on a mission. He had to try again. He had to go back. 

Suddenly, Five felt in a hurry.

There was no time to lose, he had to come back as quickly as possible. Five wanted to drop everything he was doing to focus on that.

He finished his bathing, put his clothes back on, went and looked around for anything that could find itself useful to take on this trip and he was ready to go. He left the building and now walking, rushed in the deserted plains of chaos. 

Five focused his mind on bringing a portal, it had been so long he hadn’t used his powers so it was a much harder task than usual.

It seemed by pure coincidence that the second man alive decided to walk towards him. 

\- Didn’t you tell me to leave you alone ? said Five confused. 

\- Yeah but you’re going back, aren’t you ?

Five was surprised.

\- I know you, even if you don’t know me yet. I know that look that I see now on you, the “I would do anything for my family” face, it’s kinda cliché but who doesn’t respect that ? I don’t like you much, you’ve hurt my friend and kinda fucked up a lot, but appreciate you’re trying… A for effort y’a know… 

\- Thanks

Five looked at the horizon emptily, focusing on summoning his portal, after a few minutes it appeared. He could go back. 

\- One more thing… 

Five glanced at him.

\- I haven’t been great either, I’ve been a bad friend to someone. I wasn’t honest with them and the consequences were… regrettable to say the least and it kinda fucked up everything. Just stay honest and try to keep me honest too, so we don’t end the world, y’a know… he said with a chuckle, half serious. 

Five wasn’t sure what to do with this vague information.

\- Noted, he nodded. 

And then he jumped. 


	3. Game On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five had jumped back, it was time to reunite with his family, let them know of what he had discovered, another apocalypse on their hands to handle, what a fucking looping nightmare !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the real start of the plot, we're more setting in the universe and the family is back for some mystery to solve, lots of shenanigans, we're going kinda thriller-y for this chapter ! Anyways hope you like it ! 
> 
> Song of the Chapter :  
> The Brick by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross ("In Dad's Study or The Fear Cloud")

Everyone was now awake, well more accurately, they were conscious ; Klaus, Luther and Diego. Klaus was still traumatized, hadn’t fully integrated into the reality, recovering mentally from the attack and all. Diego was moaning more quietly this time on the floor and Luther, also on the floor along with Klaus, had his habitual sad kicked puppy face, literally though now. Vanya had brought some first aid she found and bought at a nearby pharmacy while Alisson kept an eye on the group. Vanya had patched up the cuts and injuries of the others, applying disinfectant and baddages. She hadn’t though removed the knife on Diego’s shoulder, judging it would cause more harm than good, not being a doctor at all, with the loss of blood it would create additionally. Luther didn’t have any apparent injuries but his energy was extremely low and it was clear he needed some rest.

Alisson and Vanya had no idea what to do. They hadn’t had even the time to utter a word about what should be their next step when a powerful quake was felt, blasting out of nowhere. They turned, a powerful blue phosphorescence, a hole, a breach into space, it was a portal. In a few seconds only, the breach disappeared, blasting out with incredible power. Out of it emerged a young man, dark hair and rusty looking clothes. The whole group fixated on him, they had a moment of hesitation, observing the man’s traits but they quickly made their minds.

\- Five ? said Allison.

\- Five ? repeated Luther with his mouth wide open in surprise.

\- Motherfucker… Is that you ? said Diego, in shock, his face contorting.

Klaus was too dazed to comment, it is unsure if he understood anything that was happening.

\- Yeah… that’s me… responded Five

He seemed tired and had a grave look. Much must have happened wherever he had been, a long time had passed that was clear. He looked at everyone, with a meaningful expression, he observed slowly and with silence. They didn’t know how overjoyed he was seeing each and everyone of them, how he had missed their faces, their voice, God why didn’t he come back sooner ? He then changed to a more stoic face, remembering his mission, there was much to do and he felt they had to stay focused.

\- We need a plan

Allison furrowed her brows, she could tell there was some bad news coming.

\- For what…

Five met her eyes, they mutually agreed.

\- I think y'all know what I mean.

\- Fuck… Why the fuck does it keep happening…Jesus…

Diego kept moaning and whining on the ground. Five glanced at him, noticing the knife planted on his shoulder.

\- We need to get that out, he pointed

\- Yeah no shit, said Allison

* * *

They ended up going to a hospital to get the knife out and treat some of the injuries they simply had no qualifications to take care of. Diego felt better and Klaus too, which was a positive for once.

Diego and Klaus shared a bleak room, white walls and a too cool toned lighting. They each lay on their hospital bed, taking a well deserved nap after everything that they had gone through. The rest of the family stood and sat around in blue plastic chairs taken from the waiting room, waiting for the time they would be discharged.

Everyone was exhausted, mentally and physically. Luther was going in and out of naps, Allison and Five were on their third coffee and Vanya looked at the window emptily hoping time would go faster. The atmosphere was awkward, everyone seemed to be in different types of moods but no one spoke. Luther had his usual confused expression, Allison had her anxious mother look but Vanya’s expression was the one that concerned Five. It seemed she was shut down, torned with multiple emotions coming her way.

\- Vanya… Are you alright ?

It sounded strange coming from Five. His tone was softer and communicative like trying to build a bridge which was unheard of.

\- Yeah… I mean it doesn’t feel great to hear that I’m going to cause an apocalypse for the third time… she said with nervousness.

\- Actually, I don’t think it’s the case this time, he said seriously.

Vanya frowned. Allison overheard and joined, concerned.

\- Then who ? asked Allison

Five was interrupted by Klaus’s sudden awakening.

\- What the fuck...Where am I ? said Klaus sluggishly.

Klaus took a first glance at the room.

\- God, why do those places always look so fucking ugly ! Jesus, just put some goddamn paint ! he said a little too loudly.

He sounded still dazed, unaware of his own loudness and the echo of the room, likely due to the morphine still in his blood. As unintentional as it was, it didn’t stop from waking Diego up with a very disgruntled face.  
He didn’t utter a word, he simply sighed heavily, forever annoyed with his fool of a brother.

\- Well now that everyone is up…

Five glanced at Luther who was about to nap again and he quickly corrected himself.

Both Klaus and Diego turned their heads. The voice wasn’t familiar but the tone was ; decisive, strict and slightly arrogant. It was almost like…

When they saw him, their mouths stayed open wide and silent. Their eyes had enlarged, looking at the figure from head to toe. Their faces harbored first incomprehension and then simply confusion.

\- I can’t believe it…I thought that was a dream... said Diego

\- Seeing is believing, responded Five with a sardonic smile

Klaus took a longer time to examine him to finally express.

\- You really did grow up ! Congratulations ! May I say, puberty really worked out well for you… You look hot ! Hhhm…Like who’s the hot guy ? Oh my God !! Keanu Reeves ! The hot dude from the Matrix ! Big fan !!

Unanimously the group responded.

\- Dude, gross !

\- Just saying !

\- Well anyhow, we have a lot to do, said Five trying to focus back on the subject matter

\- Like what ? asked Klaus, raising an eyebrow.

\- Saving the world from the apocalypse, again, it’s not because of Vanya this time though.

Klaus emitted a groan.

\- Ugh… This is getting so boooring… Can’t you just let me nap the whole time while you guys do your thing ? Can’t I be just neutral ? Like that country in Europe with the banks !!

\- Liechtenstein ?

\- Luxembourg ?

\- Ugh…Nevermind, nerds !!

Klaus put his blanket on and closed his eyes, protesting like a petulant child, which he was. On the other side, Diego was quite concerned and addressed Five for further inquiry.

\- So do we have any leads ? If it’s not Vanya then what ?

\- It’s complicated, he wasn’t exactly clear… sighed Five

\- Who ? Did you meet someone in the apocalypse ? asked Vanya

\- He said “she” led an army of abandoned children like us

He stopped his sentence.

\- That’s it ? asked Diego perplexed.

\- He said she wouldn’t be hard to find, that her powers are obvious.

The group looked at Five, dissatisfied, the lead seemed barely tangible and even if taken seriously, horribly thin.

\- Oh shut up, all of you ! You think I’m happy with what I got ?! Five spat angrily in frustration.

He sighed again, trying to cool down.

\- Well we do have about a year, so let’s get going ! Archives, newspapers, I don’t care, anything, what else can we do… he said trying to stay pragmatic.

* * *

The family decided to settle in a hotel nearby when the two were discharged. Everyone took a room on the same floor, trying to keep the family’s unity. Five spaced himself out, putting a distance with the others and took a large room down the corner of the hallway. It was strange, different from before, a quietness they wondered about. They agreed they would all work to find more information on the other children, hoping to find in priority the “obvious she”.

Five was in charge, as per usual, leading firmly over the project. Allison became one extremely useful asset to the family. They had been penniless ever since their arrival into this timeline and to get anything here, it always felt safest to have Alisson.

The first job was to look at records of any women born in October first of 1989 with a notable mention of a sudden pregnancy and birth by the mother. The group’s first reunion was held in Five’s large room, number 356, they sat around on the comfortable carpeted floor. Everyone was motivated to get things done but quickly felt lost and distracted on how to carry the task. They knew there were many ways to find people easily ever since the internet but with no real knowledge of how to actually operate as such, they fell flat.

Klaus was mindlessly tracing on the carpet when his eyes lit up from above, out of nowhere. It had been twenty minutes of muttering and of dispersed thinking when Klaus seemed to have developed an idea.

\- What if we broke into Dad’s house ?

Everyone responded, dead in the eye. He barely came out alive after this mess and was all already forgotten ? Was that amnesia or pure recklessness ?

\- Klaus, let me ask you a question ; do you wanna die that badly ? asked Five sarcastically.

\- He must have records, lots of them probably ! Like why did he choose them here, he must have thought they would be the best to fight the apocalypse, right ?

They couldn’t argue against that. Ever since the last encounter, their minds kept mulling over why they hadn’t been chosen. Were they not powerful enough ? Interesting enough ? Everyone seemed to go through this existential crisis.

\- I mean he’s right though… It’s the best place to start, Dad always had so many documents hidden from us in his study, said Allison

Vanya and Luther nodded, having been both manipulated by him in a significant way, a bitter memory. They still felt the anger and the betrayal, how they felt dehumanized in the process, nothing but pawns for a game they didn’t know about. Five wasn’t quite happy to hear this proposition, he knew they were right, but he was very reluctant to go back. The Sparrow children were a terror, much more powerful, grounded and in control of their abilities, he had noted, something the Umbrella family lacked, too volatile and inconsistent. He tightened his lips, troubled.

\- Fine, but if we are going to do this, we should have a plan.

\- We come at night, we sneak in and get the documents, that’s simple enough, right ? answered Diego nonchalantly.

\- Easier said than done ! We got almost killed last time, you and Klaus especially !! retorted Five angrily.

\- Since when do you care for a plan, last time you said exactly what I said ! spat Diego offended.

The reunion wasn’t going well, Five was unusually abrasive and thin-skinned. The arguing wasn’t strange, it was the tone, the aggression that Five directed to others. The fight kept going, it was petty and died down in arguments quite quickly and so followed a set of mean stares that Five and Diego exchanged as they planned for the small heist along with the others, who willfully ignored their dispute while being in the middle of it.

After a few hours, a plan was made, though more detailed than what Diego had announced previously, it remained quite similar in essence ; sneak in the mansion, go in the study, look around, get the files and leave as fast and as quietly as possible before anyone would be able to hunt them down.

Five assigned roles to each. He would lead the heist, not surprising, making sure everyone would follow the instructions and scold with the most silent yet deadly glance at any disobedient member. Allison would join as well, she would with no issue follow carefully, Five had thought, and if hell broke loose, they knew they could always count on her rumours. Klaus insisted to be part of the heist, as insane and reckless as it sounded, because it was, he did though managed to be accepted in, he did come up with the idea, didn’t he ? Vanya would be on standby, prudent as always, looking out while the others would enter the mansion. Diego would be on standby as well, ready with his knives, as opposed to Klaus, Diego had learned from last time’s beating, he wasn’t interested in being stabbed again. Five had expressed his surprise at this responsible decision, saying “thank you for not being stupid, Diego”.

The group wasn’t sure what to do with Luther, that was the big question, he certainly wasn’t made for this kind of task, muscles but no smarts, if it wasn’t that, his build would betray them like an elephant in a porcelain shop. Nobody wanted Luther to cause a scene, by which they meant him emoting, so they would rather lie to him, small white lie like usual.

* * *

They decided they would carry the mission the next day, in the middle of the night, of course, between the hours of two to three in the morning, assuring hopefully a quiet and safe environment for them to break in the mansion. The day of the mission was a day of preparation, Diego sharpened his knives, Alisson had already done her dose of rumours and Five had jumped around here and there. They had planned flashlights, a taser, just in case, and bags to put the soon stolen files in.

Vanya had kindly found an excuse to deal with Luther for the night, keeping him busy and preventing a disastrous involvement from his part. She didn’t feel good about it, of course, oh so kind Vanya, but it was what had to be done. Luther was given a dummy mission, Five wanted Vanya to instruct him as he noticed Luther’s growing suspicion over him, damn idiot learned something for once. Luther would watch over in the hallway of their hotel floor, a pitifully sad view to imagine, so that “no one would come after them”, a stupid yet efficient plan as Luther took the bait with no effort.

The night came and soon it was time to get to work. Five would look at each gate and door, transport himself to the other side and then choose which seemed safest to then guide the others in after unlocking the entry. The safest entry, like Five had predicted was the fire exit way which he had once used to leave quietly his family and ran to almost no trouble other than Klaus, which was not much trouble at all other than for his nerves. They climbed the ladder, quiet as could be.

Allison was worried, what had she gotten herself into ? She really hoped not to face those Sparrow kids again, the power they had exuded had been quite unsettling. Five felt the same way but tried to keep these thoughts away while he waited for them on the other side, he had to stay focused. Klaus was in a strange mood, within his thoughts, quiet but driven, his eyes were on those files and nothing else. He seemed to have taken a bet, hoping if he cracked the case, everything would be resolved, as if he could prove his worth to this other Ben Hargreeves.

Once they had climbed the ladder, they noticed the door in front of them, Allison opened, Klaus followed and closed it. Step one of the plan was done, they had all entered and infiltrated the mansion. They were on the second floor, the door had opened to the hall that surrounded the upper part of the staircase, all in beautiful wood that was barely visible in the dead of the night, only the small highlights of the varnish glistening.

Their father’s study, as they remembered it, was located on the first and ground floor, in the very corner of the mansion, on the right. He was always hiding in this room, who knows how many secrets he kept there, it was all so suspicious…  
They moved slowly, evaluating every step. When it was time for them to descend the stairs, they walked with further caution, hoping it wouldn’t creek. The stairs mostly kept quiet, sure small creekings but similar to small whispers. On step thirty, Five counted every step, of course, in the middle of the stairs, an unexpected loud creek happened. Five immediately backtracked his foot, he then skipped that step and so did the others after him, saving themselves from discovery. It happened again on step fifty-six, only four steps before the end of the stairs, louder, they thought they heard someone get up, panic took them over, they hastened to arrive on the ground floor and hid behind one the sides of the stairs.

After a few minutes, thankfully nothing came, they sighted in relief and continued their exploration. They passed through the ultimate room of the academy, the great entry hall, always sumptuous, full of so many memories, sure, here, not theirs, but those of the Sparrows, but even in the dark, the contours of the room were the same, the furniture was seemingly identical, so was the carpet, the same texture and probably the same color and pattern they imagined. The fireplace was lit, the only source of light around. Five did not worry, at home, it was the same. On top of the fireplace hung a portrait, a young man that neither Five, Klaus nor Alisson recognized. They didn’t remember him in the attack, sure, they hadn’t had much time to remember the faces of their attackers but he seemed completely foreign to them.

Once they had exited the great hall, they walked through a long corridor. It felt oppressive, quite small in width, with three people it felt cramped up side by side so they opted in a line, Five in front with the flashlight, guiding, Alisson in second and Klaus in last. After what seemed forever, fifteen minutes actually, they arrived at the end of the corridor, in front of a thick wood door, magnificent with its detailed decorative carvings, nothing less from the socialite Reginald Hargreeves.

Five opened the door, like they expected, they had found their father’s study. It was a large room of fine taste, with expensive wood all around, huge bookshelves adorning the walls, a stone fireplace, unlit thankfully and in the corner, ending the building, great widows, offering a soft light that the moon had given. They walked towards the desk, a beautiful crafted piece completely swept under the mess that Hargreeves had made. The desk was full of papers, laid all across, files, opened and unopened, stacked in towers and dust lay, though lightly but enough to highlight the very probable hours spent by Hargreeves in this place, never thinking to clean this furniture, ever.

As they observed the room, made a few rounds in the large space, they quickly felt quite overwhelmed and lost. Without any doubt, the information was there but the question was where exactly and in what form was it hidden ? Was it between pages of a book or of a newspaper article ? Was there a file or multiple files ? Were they on the desk or in the drawers or even laid on the floor along with other papers ?

Alisson and Klaus glanced at Five for directions, he always yelled at the others for being incompetent so they naturally developed this habit. Sadly enough, Five looked puzzled and decimated, pondering, staring emptily at a bookshelf. What would the crazy bastard do ? It got Five into thinking about the mysteriousness of their father, the lies and the manipulation. He thought about Luther and how strange this whole affair with the moon was… Suddenly, it clicked in his head. He turned to his siblings.

\- We need to move the desk, he said decidedly.

Alisson raised an eyebrow.

\- Just do it, we’ll see that I’m right ! he said irritated.

They followed suit and joined to push the desk. It was an easy yet difficult task. With their joined strength pushing the furniture was no problem but doing it quietly so that no one would hear was much harder and as a result Five instructed to be very slow in their operation. As much as it pained Five, the furniture did emit some sounds as it was pushed, it was hard for him to admit that it would have been impossible for that not to happen. Five was clearly tense but also intensely focused as if this close from finding his answer.

\- Soooo… What are we looking for ? asked Klaus, unsure of Five’s idea.

\- Just wait, just a bit more...responded Five serious.

After a few more pushes, something revealed itself on the floor, a trapdoor where the desk had been previously placed. Five smiled smugly. He opened it and there it was, folders upon folders, each with a name and a number, it went up to forty-three, forty-three files, they found it.

\- Holy shit… That’s it, it’s all in there, fucking jackpot ! said Klaus, impressed.

\- How did you guess ? asked Alisson.

\- Remember the moon documents, Luther’s files ?

Alisson blinked, she had completely forgotten about that.

\- Dad hasn’t changed that much then, has he ?

\- Seems like it…

Klaus started to pack up the files, seeing the amount of documents and how thick they were, Five was glad he had decided that each of them would take a backpack with them, just in case. As such, Five and Alisson proceeded to join in on the task. All of their bags were now full, it was a miracle they managed to fit them all in.

\- Alright, we’re all done, let’s get moving, said Five.

\- What time is it ? asked Klaus, in a responsible inquiry.

Five looked at his watch.

\- Almost three, we got the timing just right…

They were about to leave the room but suddenly they felt strange and they stopped, they couldn’t explain why. They couldn’t pin down exactly how they felt but it kept them immobilized, whatever it was, they were stuck along with odd feelings. It was a sort of queasiness, something was unsettling, making them anxious. They could feel as the seconds passed by, the symptoms worsening, the anxiety mounting and their shoulders stiffen, hard as rock. It was as if everyone else had disappeared, a bubble had formed around each of them and had isolated them from the rest.

* * *

  
Klaus’s mind had retreated, far behind, deep in the dark. He knew he was awake, his eyes were open but what he saw was distorted, an altered reality, insane shapes and saturated colors, it was painful to his eyes. Objects each had spiraling auras following them, going round and round, something hypnotising in the most nightmarish way. Everything felt so unreal like a hallucination, how many drugs had he taken ? Sometimes spots would appear out of nowhere in his vision, big and small black circles, coming in front of him, so close to his face, thrown violently to attack him. He felt he was losing his mind, the shapes terrified him.

“ They are coming for me, oh fuck ! Please don’t hurt me, please leave me alone ! I just want to be normal, leave me please ! ”

He felt he was about to pass out, like his body would leave him soon.

* * *

Allison felt her senses in a whole new way, hyper aware, acutely perceptive, at least that’s what it seemed to her. Everything was now more intense, sharper, everything in her vision seemed to break down to its skeleton base, to the smallest unit, colors died down to black and white, the contrast became more extreme, the light was flashing quickly and it was painful. She started to hear small subtle sounds, things that she never heard before, quiet sounds. She could hear a mouse, far away, nesting in a corner, she could hear some dust fall on the floor and a presence coming from the second floor.

She started to hear steps, though far away, she felt the presence would come here. And as the first thought of it went through her mind, things started to worsen, voices, initially small and unclear, she couldn’t tell who’s voices belonged to but as the minutes passed by, the volume slowly increased. She could now distinguish the voices, they were all in distress, Vanya pleading, Diego begging, Klaus crying and then... then… she couldn’t believe it, it scared her so… her daughter, screaming for help. The volume increased further, the voices sounded now jerked, violently sharp, attacking her ears with laments and cries of help. She wanted to cry and get away from the inferno cage, she felt herself dying.

* * *

Five knew instantly he was trapped, he didn’t understand how it worked, how it happened, but it did and he was now by himself locked away in a strange immaterial prison. Five first assured himself that this was nothing out of the ordinary, as bizarre as it sounded, he was affirming that this was yet another case of a mission gone wrong and in a sense he was right but also wrong. For a few minutes, which he felt like hours, he looked around, his eyes going left to right, trying to find a clue to the situation and hopefully something to get him out of there but nothing came out of his observations, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to stand out.

This place was strange, he could see the room he was in, his father’s study but it felt unreal, disconnected, or was it him ? Time felt warped, it troubled him, bad memories, he couldn’t let time fuck him over again ! And the more he thought of it, the worst he felt, he was painfully aware of his powerlessness and it was shaking his whole being.

He was trembling, his hands seemed terrified, his legs were trying to clutch to the ground for balance and his face was ghastly. His mind was spiraling out of control, he felt as if the world was already crumbling without him having had a chance in saving it, fuck ! He felt he couldn’t keep up with this place, it was getting unbearable, it was getting hard for him to breathe, he was going too fast, he was panicking, spiraling.

* * *

She had woken up in the middle of the night, it was a first, nothing would ever wake her up from her deep slumber, so what was it ? She looked at her phone, it was late, two thirty in the morning, everyone else should be asleep, she thought, even the night owls, their schedules were strict.

It was quiet as usual, dark as it should be for the hour but she couldn’t shake the feeling, something felt wrong, out of place. She debated whether to leave her room or not, still laying in bed, maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, she considered. Some minutes passed, she was still laying, staring at the ceiling, just as dark and empty as her room, her anxious thoughts running on their own. The inkling did not leave her, her suspicion was strong, something, someone, she sensed, was running around the house. She did not hear any noise, no creaking, no sounds of steps, no hushed talks but the air moved differently, flowing with a little breeze, reverberating to some activity. She decided to get up, taking her phone with her, to use it as a flashlight and left her room.

Her steps were shaky and unsure, what was she thinking in doing this ? As she walked towards the stairs, she glanced at the other rooms, the same glossy wood door for each, all closed shut but were they in there ? Who knew ? She descended the stairs, she knew it was mostly quiet, only two steps out of the sixty creaked, not a rusty creaking, but a loud sound would be emitted from the contact between the foot and those floors, almost an alarm, maybe her father had engineered it as such. All her brothers and sisters knew about it. Was it that that woke her ? She wasn’t sure, still half awake, hesitant of what was dream or reality.

She arrived on the ground floor, she saw the living room, in it’s intact beauty, the fire lit like usual, burning slowly but beautifully. She got distracted for a few seconds, coming close to the fireplace, somewhere reassuring, staring at the painting, right into the eyes of the man in the portrait. She remembered why she was here, in the middle of the night and not in her room like she had been ordered, something wrong in the house, a presence, active, lurking in the mansion.

She followed her senses and her intuition pointed her towards the hallway leading to her father’s study, a place she had never set foot in, it was almost a rumour of a room, only of speculative matter for her and her siblings. She went in the long corridor, a dark tunnel, anxiously suffocating with its narrowness. She tried to be more attentive and listen closely, not much, it was rather still until she picked up the subtle breathings. Who was there ? Was it her father, working and planning on some ungodly thing ? Or was it her siblings, very much awake and out of their rooms, under their father’s order, following some secret plan ? She could feel her heart drop, something she had felt would come sooner or later towards her, something would come and claim her, danger and death. She shouldn’t open this door, they probably already knew, run and hide said her mind but she wouldn’t listen, a deeper feeling attracted her, she wanted to see.

She opened the door, the room was dark and three figures stood, standing still, three marble-like statues, with faces contorted in horror, fear and despair. Her shoulders stiffened, her heart sank as she looked further, three intruders in her father’s study. She couldn’t let go of their faces, terrifying yet mesmerizing. She slowly recognized them, three out of those six lunatics that had barged a few days earlier, talking some disturbing nonsense about the academy and their father. They had seemed so sure of themselves in their blabberings, there had been so much detail in their speech and a sort-of accuracy slightly diverged that had struck within her, maybe they told the truth ? Maybe Hargreeves had lied…

She felt different now, less afraid and more curious. The air was less tense, the mood had shifted, less confusion and clearer questions to ask ahead. The marble left and the faces changed expressions, they were slowly waking up.

* * *

Five didn’t know how long he spent in this nightmare, maybe hours, maybe days, maybe only a few minutes, it was impossible to tell. It had been utter torture, both mentally and physically. The dark cloud had surrounded him, had conquered the space he had and strangled him by the neck to leave him no room. The cloud had disappeared so suddenly, he did not think this would end but it did and he woke up in the same room, his eyes already open. He carried a dazed expression, he felt quite light, a bit unstable, his feet trying to grapple the ground for some balance. He was still a big state of shock and he would need much more time to recover and calm down but he kept that battle to himself. He looked around, seeing his siblings wake up as well, scarred by the experience, but he was then met with a stranger’s face, the face of a Sparrow.

Five couldn’t see her well, at first, having to readapt his eyes to the darkness but he could feel her piercing eyes, staring at him intensely with a powerfully threatening aura, nothing good could come out of this, he thought. He started to be accustomed to the lack of light and slowly the face of the Sparrow became clearer and more detailed. Her eyes were striking, almost a fluorescent green. Her face was just as intimidating as he had felt it, she had a hostile expression and her brown ruffled hair, long grey eyebags and sickly pale skin as well as her pierced up face, did not help make her more appealing, she looked dangerous and she was most definitely.

\- Why did you come here ? she asked so suddenly, keeping her pointed stare.

There was a small silence. They had expected to be battered up and thrown out in an instant, not be asked a question that felt, in comparison to the last encounter, strangely polite. Five was taken aback and still dazed and processing the whole issue, did not manage to give an answer. Her brows furrowed up, impatient and unsatisfied by his slowness.

\- What were you after ? What did you take ? What is it ?

She was straightforward and precise in her questions, she wanted something, it was clear, yet she also seemed to hide something ulterior in her motive, personal maybe, as she was careful, staying in a hushed voice.

\- Why should we tell you ? answered Five, it was an impulsive response, probably to be regretted.

\- I could denounce all of you, right this second if I wanted too, is that enough for you ? she said with spite.

Five felt himself reddened. He felt like it had gotten so warm, too warm, so fast, he breathed more heavily, his skin felt on fire, he started to sweat, little droplets fell from his forehead. He felt dirty, gross, exposed. He didn’t know what to say, how stupid and helpless he felt.

\- If we can figure this out, we’ll be gone, he mustered, it was vague but he hoped it also showed a sort of good faith.

He could see she wasn’t satisfied with this answer, he was still too suspicious to her eyes.

\- This means nothing, stop it, you are not answering, what were you searching for ? What did you find to try and taint my family’s name ? Answer ! she said in a loud whisper.

There was a small silence for a few seconds.

\- Fine, but you won’t like it ! We tried to be honest the first time but y’all were too deaf to hear it ! You just call us crazy and beat the shit out of us instead ! We are not against you ! he answered, growing less scared and more frustrated and angry towards her.

Seeing her reaction to his comment, tense but visibly still very wary of waking the others up and alerting them, Five had emboldened himself, he didn’t have time for petty conflict with a stranger, he wanted to fix the damn apocalypse, she hid something and Five could tell it left them a window to negotiate.

\- This is our house too, you know, we were raised here just like you, with the same father, I’m just trying to protect my family. I’m sure you can understand that…

She nodded and continued to listen intently, they had agreed.

\- We have the same story as you, simply, we were there in the first place, well, not in a purely linear vision of time kind of way but with some interference here and there, and alteration of the past, that resulted in this alternate timeline. We were the Umbrella Academy, his children, raised to protect the world from the worst, I’m sure that sounds familiar, and the worst did finally happen, twice actually, two apocalypse and now, a third one is on the way…

She frowned, she seemed unsure how to feel, was she going to be in denial or crushed by utter dread and existential crisis ? She looked at him deeply, staring, questioning the next step, she did not comment, still and silent. She did not speak anymore, she gave Five one last glance, an answer, they were free to go.


End file.
